Gen-Z and Reform: The Language of Music

Plato called music a “moral law” claiming that its essence of order led to everything good and beautiful, while his pedagogue Socrates, the father of stoicism, claimed that “good rhythm” and “good harmony” led to “good disposition” stressing the importance of its balance. Music is seen as a universal language, but what makes it so important to the newer generations that it’s become an addiction of sorts? Maybe even a dependency if you will. Since its creation millions of years ago, why are people cherishing it more nowadays than ever? Today we ask the question as to why the developing minds of today’s youth cling so heavily to the concept of music.

The early adults and young teens today have been forced to grow, thrive, and live in a world that they had no say in creating. The era of the internet, what a fun and destructive one it’s been. We’ve seen an absolutely detrimental spike in mental, emotional, and psychological disorders since the introduction of social media caused by the electronic revolution, a term which I have deemed more devastating than its industrial counterpart. The era of the internet and its continuation leaving millions emotionally taxed throughout its never ending evolution; when will society ever have enough of breaking the beings of young people with its unattainable standards. 

 They were forced to grow up too fast, when did they ever get to be a kid, play in the dirt, scrape some knees, and play with bugs? What child at the age of ten needs the latest iphone and an account on every single social media app on the market? These children don’t know any better, and with parents that were not subject to the same childhoods as their children, where do we break the cycle and begin the new age of moral revelation? These adolescents want a place to just simply exist. A place of belonging, and a place to be themselves free of the harsh realities of the real world. Plato said that music was a “moral law” and what is more moral than finding yourself in the “good rhythms” and “good harmonies” that Socrates loved? Music is a place to lose oneself and forget their existence to just live in the moment. Simply existing is a luxury most people take for granted, and with the continuously evolving world around us, sometimes we forget to stop and just take in our surroundings.

Generation Z has this addictive dependency with Music that many people older than them deem unhealthy but only because they never took the time to question why their infatuation with music was as strong as it was. Music has been around for ages, and people have enjoyed hearing it for as long as it’s been around, but none have felt the crippling emotion to experience it till now. As a member of Gen-Z, I can vouch for the theory of music transcending far beyond just music and becoming a feeling; sometimes I need something more than just listening to a song, I need to feel the song running through my bloodstream. As silly as it may sound to others, I feel such an overwhelming emotion when listening to music that sometimes I'm left in a state of restlessness until that need for more is satiated; I want more. 

As a member of the experimental and non control group, I can also speak for the fact that Music has helped me express myself in a way I haven’t ever been able to. I’ve been to therapy for an anxiety and depressive disorder, I have many skeletons in my closet, and I carry around the weight of the world on my shoulders at times. The only way I've ever been able to deal with that baggage is through music and just forgetting that I'm a human being with my own problems and issues. I just want to exist in my music and not have to worry about the toxic society around me. I worried too much about what people thought of me for so long, and how I didn’t fit into the world around me that it just became too much and I didn’t want to deal with it anymore. Once I accepted that I was never going to be up to standard, I stopped trying and started existing and that is when I was able to feel real happiness. I couldn’t have done it without music and the constant reminder that at the end of the day, the only people that matter are me and my happiness. At the end of the day, I only have one life and I need to live it for myself and not for a world that has been altered to leave the “weakest” behind. Experiencing emotions doesn’t make you weak, it makes you human and I would rather embrace my humanity than repress it till societal standards eat me alive. 

I know that many other people in my age group feel the way I do because of the extensive research I’ve conducted on this topic. Online forums, online friends, friends in person, strangers, new people, they have all helped me come to the conclusion that music is an escape and a safe place to be oneself without crumbling under the pressure of expectations. I'm so sick and tired of trying to be put in a box and as are many others my age. We’re the group that will change the world around us, and the expectations thrown our way; we’re also that group that has seen what societal pressure does to those around us. We experience it damn near every day watching as our parents succumb to the hardships that capitalistic corporate America throws their way. I watch my mother come home from her teaching job exhausted, and how the hard years of societal pressure have added wrinkles onto her pristine and beautiful face. My mother is beautiful, so fucking beautiful and so strong. She taught me to be the person I am today, and question everything I do and strive for the best in my life, I owe all my success to her. 

Why take all the crap dished out at me by a society that was built without me in mind, when I can fight for reform and change it until it takes people like me into account. Minorities, Women, People of color, Queer 2SLGBTQ+ Individuals, Disabled Individuals, society was not created with us in mind. Our patriarchal society has been killing individuality and creativity since the dawn of time and it’s only when fighting the system gets too draining that you look for an escape, a place to forget the world around you. This is where music comes in and saves the day, because it can't rain all the time. There has to be a time when changing the world allows for a person to step away from the reform and remember that they’re humans too and can’t neglect their human needs like emotional and mental stability. What is a good superhero worth if they can’t do their job properly because they’re too drained in the head?

Generation Z cherishes Music more than any other generation because they’re the group experiencing information overload all around them and it’s nice to forget about the harsh realities of the world sometimes. We’re currently in the middle of two wars (Russia vs. Ukraine and Israel vs. Palestine), an economic recession, a pandemic that ended three years ago yet continues to affect people to this day, and the ice caps melting alongside the ozone layer continuing to disappear from constant pollution, let's not even mention the ongoing climate fight against global warming and the increasing temperatures due to constant pollution. The greenhouse effect is a process that occurs when gasses in Earth's atmosphere trap the Sun's heat reflecting it onto us making Earth much warmer than it would be without an atmosphere, and once again, it is all thanks to pollution. When the constant chaos in the world never seems to cease, and the thoughts inside one's head go spiraling, where do the majority turn to forget their problems and release their emotions? Five letters, two syllables, one word, music.

A world that has so much wrong with it, making most people feel like they're drowning and will never find a way out of it, yet has so much beauty in every aspect of it that a single sunset can move millions to tears. Yet in all of its trials and tribulations, people find their way to one common denominator: music. A simple song playing in the background as a family enjoys dinner together, and a song that makes people fling every limb of their body to a heavy song at a metal concert; they’re both more similar than you think. They both help people communicate and convey their emotions while grounding them in their human existences. Reflecting on past instances in my life where I needed to stop and ground myself forgetting the chaos around me, music was always there to guide me and wipe the tears from my watery eyes. Music is a universal language and it speaks louder than any words coming from a human mouth; enjoying the complexities of humanity and changing the rules of society is fun and games until you need an outlet when things get too hard, at least people can rest assured knowing that music will always be there to guide them back to themselves.

Note: This was a final paper I did for a communications class and I thought it would be cool if I shared it on here for people to read and ponder about. I talk about many different topics throughout the paper from global warming, to political issues, societal pressures, and ongoing governmental conflicts. It might be a bit of informational overload and word vomit to some but it makes sense in my mind. Once you start you really can't stop and that's the beauty of writing! Hope you enjoyed this, much love!